Taryn vs.The Big Sky

I got married!

2009-06-01T15:01:00.001-06:00

Magic Lady

2009-05-06T12:38:00.002-06:00

I had some body work done yesterday by a lady recommended to me by my fencing student (and professional dancer) Sallyann. Wow, she was magical.

First, she had me lay on the massage table. Then she took my head in her hands and moved it to try and make my spine 'move like a snake'. She felt it get stuck and found the exact place where my back pain starts. She then proceeded to use pressure to get my muscles and connective tissue to loosen up, also talking out loud to them, asking them to cooperate. Eventually, the whole left side of my body flattened out on the table. I was slanty as my right side was still tense and 'up high'.

Apparently, a lot of my muscles are constantly in a state of contracture -- she said they feel like leathery beef jerky instead of jello. Also, she said the 'core weakness' my physical therapist said I had is a result of some contracture in my abdomen. 65% of the muscle is working to hold the contracture, leaving 35% to do other things, which reads as weakness. Also, when working on the inside of my hip, she released so many toxins, I almost threw up.

She managed to unstick all the gluey muscles and tendons, but diagnosed my main problem as my SI joint. It's stuck and she can't fix it. She recommended I see a chiropractor for a one shot deal to unstick the SI joint.

My homework is to lay on tennis balls to keep the muscles from tightening up again.

My hip still hurts a bit, and I'm sore from some of the work, but this is the best I've felt structurally in a long time!

Aromatherapy

2009-04-20T13:55:00.002-06:00

Since moving to Montana, various maladies have been plaguing my poor body.

One thing is this pain in my hip that's been going on since September. Between the physical therapist and my doctor, we think that the pain might actually be being triggered in my back. I find this highly likely since my back hurts most of the time. Since physical therapy wasn't helping, my doctor ordered an ($2000) MRI, which showed -- NOTHING!!

So I've decided to start exploring some alternative, holistic approaches....

The other thing that is a huge problem is my constant nightmares/nightterrors. I don't get any sleep and neither does Aaron. For a while they seemed to be getting better, but now are back with a vengance. We'd been talking about trying some aromatherapy or noise machines. Saturday night, in the midst of some nightmare, I totally clobbered Aaron in the neck and chest, so we decided that now would be a good time to try something.

Sunday I got a lavender and thyme reed diffuser from Target for $17.49, hoping it will have a calming effect on my sleep habits. No nightmares last night (but I did dream about the stupid diffuser) and my shoulders seemed a little less tense than normal this morning, but I felt a little stuffy too. I think I'll give it a week and see if it helps the nightmares and doesn't give me massive allergies before recommending to others.

Auntie again

2009-02-23T11:30:00.003-07:00

Me: Alastair told me he needs a little cousin to play with.
Aaron: He can play with the cats.
Me: He can't play baseball with cats!
Aaron: Well, he can certainly try.

Congratulations to Andrew and Candice on the great job on beautiful Baby Alastair!

And Ali, keep being so cute and good and maybe we can get Uncle Aaron to come around soon and get you that little cousin to play with.

Wedding-Industrial Complex: Photographer

2009-01-22T13:21:00.002-07:00

Aaron and I just booked our photographer--Amy Berg. Yay! Once more thing off the list.

She's a friend of my colleague, Mike, and seems to be interested in trying something a little creative. Check out her portfolio. Anecdotally, most of the weddings in Montana seem to be ranch weddings, so you'll have to use your imaginations.

Someone should probably buy me this...

2008-11-04T15:22:00.002-07:00

Wedding-Industrial Complex: Flowers?

2008-11-03T15:16:00.006-07:00

The results are in: peacock overwhelmingly beat out coral for wedding colors.

I'm toying with not using flowers at all -- I'm not exactly sure what would work well with peacock feathers....

I did find this badass indigo-colored broom grass at Pier 1 for $6 a [handful]. And peacock feathers at this joint online for $50 per 100. I'm thinking of making the bridesmaids bouquets a mixture of the broom grass and feathers.

Update:
I bought the broom grass. There is one minor problem with it, and that is, the color comes off on your hands. I think it will be okay since I'll be wrapping the bouquets with ribbon, so the bridesmaids won't have to actually touch the grass part....

Wedding-Industrial Complex: The Colors Part Deux.

2008-10-13T16:10:00.002-06:00

In bed, this morning, I asked Aaron about his vision for the wedding -- his answer "peacocks".

I'm certainly a fan of peacocks and it works well with an Art Deco theme.

But now we have TWO possible color schemes! I need an opinion.

Wedding-Industrial Complex: The Colors

2008-10-01T14:52:00.001-06:00

Here is the color palette I'm thinking.

Wedding-Industrial Complex: The Venue

2008-10-01T08:52:00.003-06:00

I think Aaron and I have settled on a wedding venue -- The Florence Hotel in Missoula.

It's no longer a hotel, but the ballroom is available for events.

It burned down, or something, a couple times; the last time it was remade in the Art Moderne (late Art Deco) style. That was 1941 -- I think Art Deco was on the way out by then, but this is Montana, so styles take a while to penetrate the Wild West.

I'm a sucker for Art Deco. We've decided to use the architecture to drive the other components of the wedding.

So I'm off to the library to research Art Deco design.

Drinking the Kool-aid

2008-09-29T16:56:00.002-06:00

Saturday we took at trip to Missoula to check out the possible wedding venue.

On the way, I chose an Emmylou Harris album on the iPod and proclaimed I wanted to take a trail ride -- you know, with horses and outside.

Aaron put his hand on my forehead to check if I had a fever.

Yup. Horses and Americana. Drinking the Montana Kool-aid.

Fully Engaged

2008-09-14T13:24:00.006-06:00

My love life has been a bit tumultuous the past 18 months. I'll spare the kind-hearted reader all the gorey details, but this time last year, I was trying to break my engagement to my fiance of two years, boy-friend of four years. Then there was the never-quite-right relationship with my best friend/lover that totally imploded pretty much right after I brought him out to Montana. And then, in the midst of that tragedy that stole 4 months of my life, there was Aaron.

I was surprised when he asked me to marry him last last last Wednesday. We got all dressed up and he took me to high tea at the Fairmont Hotel in Seattle. Somewhere between scones with clotted cream and jam and the fruit tart, he asked me to stand up with him, got down on one knee, presented a very elegant diamond solitaire and asked me to marry him. And I whole-heartedly said yes.

It's been a quick courtship, but he's definitely the man of my dreams! (except for being 5'7" instead of 6'4" :)

Now I'm full of Engagement Anxiety, partly due to my own issues and partly trying to plan a classy, non-traditional wedding in a place where it seems the bulk of the brides wear cowboy boots.

This weekend we're checking out a potential non-rustic venue in downtown Missoula. Expect more wedding planning posts.

Being a grown-up is rough

2008-07-22T14:38:00.002-06:00

Here's an update for y'all:

I don't know why I do these things to myself, but here we go. One boyfriend moved out this morning. Another boyfriend is moving in.

Why? Why?

I'll say I'm trying to arrange a marriage for myself.

I'm pretty sure this one is going to stick. He's definitely the most compatible of the lot.

Other news: Great Condo Collapse.

Turns out buying a condo and rehabilitating it is next to impossible in Montana.
"Con-Doh?" They ask.
"Yes," I reply, "It's like a house, but in an apartment building. You build equity but don't have to mow a lawn."
???

Up next: Finding a new apartment.
Preferably one that has an oven that doesn't heat with a lightbulb and is not filled with old people or smell like pee.

Also must have enough room for 1,100+ books. Ah the joys of bibliophile boyfriends...I'll never be for want of something to read ever again.

Happy Vigilante Day

2008-05-02T16:30:00.002-06:00

Today was Vigilante Day in Helena. Early reports to me said that this is to commemorate the tradition of vigilante justice here in Montana, however this is incorrect. The the real scoop is that the parade, which appears to be the only event of Vigilante Day, was devised in 1924 as a way to keep the junior and senior class of Helena High School occupied so they would stop fighting with each other.

So, this seemingly endless (1.5 hour) parade consisted of floats constructed by kids from Helena and Capital High depicting Montana history. Maybe being a Minnesotan has PC-ified me, but I can't believe the subject matter these kids got away with!

White kids dressed up like American Indians (or Native Americans -- if you're reading from back home)
Several depictions of Saloons and Speak-easies
A couple of girls dressed up as prostitutes
A sign that read "Cowgirls last longer than 8 seconds"
Lots o' cap guns
And very many mock hangings!

Check out the pictures from last year (they look a little more wholesome than this year); hopefully they'll post the ones from this year too, as I forgot my camera.

Side note: all the kids got out of school at 11 am for this thing, so downtown has be swarming with wayward teenagers ever since. It also appears that all the cops in Helena are out on donut break, for no one is keeping an eye on them.

The Set

2008-04-11T17:33:00.003-06:00

So...right now most of my free time has been absolutely, wonderfully monopolized by Mr. Aaron Bouschor and learning a five song set for the next wine tasting party on April 23rd. Playing with him made me realized just how much I missed playing guitar, learning new things and having a product. Also, this is the first time I've played with someone (super fun). And, I might even try singing! This summer, we want to play out somewhere too!

We've got a kinda late 60s / 70s (and inspired by that era) singer/songwriter thing going right now.

Wish You Were Here -- Pink Floyd
Fever Dream -- Iron & Wine
These Days -- Nico (&Jackson Browne)
Trouble -- Cat Stevens
Thirteen -- Big Star
The Absence of God -- Rilo Kiley

Anyone else know anything that has two good guitar parts and can be sung in alto/tenor?

2008-03-16T18:54:00.002-06:00

As much as I've been bitching about Montana, I just had to post and say:
It was absolutely beautiful today.

Fellow Flatlander

2008-03-10T19:49:00.003-06:00

Just met a kid named Lance who spotted my Minnesota plates and followed me to my parking spot. He is a fellow displaced Minnesotan who can't wait to get the hell out of Helena. And he shares my sentiments on skiing (strapping waxed sticks to one's feet is a good way for a Flatlander to die).

The Scene must be created here. Any suggestions?

And, seriously, if someone wants to open a martini lounge here, I know a bunch of people who would patronize it (especially if you stay open past 11pm on a weekend...).

Survival Update

2008-03-09T16:09:00.002-06:00

2 months of living in Helena, Montana, and I am surviving, barely.

Winter is really hard here, even for a girl from Minnesota. It's a bit warmer here, but more windy, and Montana has this crazy thaw-freeze pattern that turns all the streets into ice rinks. Except, ice rinks would be the wrong term, since ice rinks are flat, and there's not a flat point in town. Helena is covered in icy hills, then, which are treacherous, at best, for my little Matrix to get around on. If I am so unfortunate as to spend another winter here (which I undoubtedly will be), I will have to invest in snow tires.

I think spring might be happening here, so things might be looking up...

My other major qualm is just that for some reason, every task here is 50% harder to accomplish here versus the Twin Cities.

Helena is most definitely not laid out on a grid -- so even when it's not sheer ice, it's difficult to find your way around the city. My friend N (who is stuck here as a city planner) says this is because Helena was hastily planned by a guy in Boston who forgot to take grade into account. That and they basically just threw his plans out the window and built shit whereever.

Grocery shopping (and really just shopping in general) is just frustrating. Wal-mart can be counted on for consistently good prices, however any item slightly out of the ordinary will be impossible to find. Also, Wal-mart is quite often out of food. And a total zoo of unwashed on the weekend. Albertson's produce is attrocious, and both they and Safeway require the use of retarded discount cards. So basically, they jack up the price of everything so you feel like you get a good deal. Seriously, my last bill went from $90 to $60 dollars once I showed my card! So, I think I will be shopping at Safeway in the future, but I cannot go with a grocery list. I have to shop only what's on sale (paying close attention to the quanity required for the discount -- another way they've screwed me! fuckers!) and try to fashion some meals out of that.

Other stores (if they're open) are miniature versions of what you would find in a big(ger) city. Therefore, they are often sold out of simple items requiring one to hunt around town to find, say, Lysol to clean the floor. And the customer service is just awful (seriously, your not going to take my return here, am I interrupting you reading the paper?)

And I have many other qualms, but enough of the bitching here.

I think I'm turning a corner from a mini-freak out I had brought on by my darling M, who had come for a visit, heading back home without me, a business trip to Denver, which looks a lot like Minneapolis, just closer to the clouds, and one too many people asking me if I ski. No, I don't, and I have negative interest in this activity.

My salvation has been the friends I've found out here; AB, ML, CF, AD, K & J L, KV and HB. Most of them are in the same boat as me: from a big city and stuck out here to get experience. I also think most of them are surviving this little town by concentrating on a finite existence here.
AB survives by taking regular trips to Missoula. I tried this strategy out this weekend, but I think the experience deserves it's own post, later.

So, the highlight of my week is Trivia on Tuesday. Our team is still chasing first place, but we've taken second a few times. There is an independent theater here -- I saw the Diving Bell and the Butterfly there last weekend, which was phenomenal. I also found a wine bar, but got chased out of it at 11pm on a Friday night... AB's apartment seems to be the only place in town to get a martini -- he should open a speak-easy.

That's about it. I'd say right now it's Big Sky-1, Taryn-0.

Foray into Cooking #1

2008-01-31T18:55:00.000-07:00

French Style Tuna melt from Rachael Ray. This was one of the first things I made once I moved out here. It is delicious and super easy to make. I think the Brie cheese is the secret to success. Also, I never knew that parsley was so tasty. My first attempt, I totally burned the bread under the broiler, but that was the only real mishap.

Mushroom and Thyme Risotto from The Naked Chef (Jamie Oliver). There is five tablespoons of butter in this recipe, so of course it's good. This actually tasted a lot better the second day, I think because I didn't quite have the timing right when I was adding my chicken stock and undercooked the rice. I had to use a lot of pans all at once, which was hard on my Easy Bake Oven/Stove, but I managed to pull it off.
Spinich Crêpes with Curried Krab from a low fat cooking book. This is actually the most vile thing I've ever eaten. Maybe it's because I used krab instead of crab. Maybe it really needed the mango chutney (doesn't exist in Montana). Either way, ick ick ick. The crêpes were a super huge pain in the ass to make too. You basically had to almost burn them to get them to hold together. Maybe I can salvage the crêpes, but the krab filling is going straight to the trash!

Confirmation of Montana Observation #1

2008-01-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

So I observed when I came out to interview here that everyone my age is married.

Chelsea and Megan confirm this:
1. More like, everyone over the age of 18 is married.
2. There is no singles scene.
2.1 Because the town is so small, no one will approach you in a bar. They would have to see you again if it didn't go well. Too scary.
3. They advise considering a long-distance relationship. (Dammit! I already did that and it sucked.)

The Microbrew Review

2008-01-26T19:02:00.000-07:00

I had my first social event last night. I went down to the Helena Civic Center (note: not a mosque) for the Annual Cool Dog Ball and Microbrew Review with the kids from work. Everyone in Helena between the ages of 21 and 30 were at this thing; totally the place to be.

$20 got you 7 -6oz. tasting glasses of Montana's finest microbrews. I liked the chocolate porter I had straight off the best. I missed out on the same brewery's cream beer, that Katie said was good.

Katie, her husband Josh and her friend Amy, Karl and I, the Montana newbies, hung out all night. I got to network with some other health department folks, namely Anne and Bridget, too. Chelsea, one of the other kids from work, has lived here since 2000. She literally knew every 9th person at this shindig, so we didn't see her all night.

But, we're all old, so our night was over at 10:30...

Snowed In

2008-01-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

Alright, I know I say I'm an indoor girl right in my blog title, but this is getting a little ridiculous!

Montana is cold as hell (as in the Dantean frozen lake sense...)! It snowed for a day and a half, resulting in about 8 inches of snow. I drive a Toyota Matrix, which, as much as I love it, is not great on snow. The spoiler catches on anything over 4 inches, ergo, I won't be going anywhere until they plow the alley out of my parking lot. It's Monday, we got the bulk of the snow on Saturday, so I'm not holding my breath. I'll probably wind up walking to work tomorrow, so I should try and find my long underwear and snow pants.

My goal for this weekend was to finish re-finishing the dresser I bought at Good Samaritan (pictures coming soon!) but I need to get out to Target to buy some hardwear and contact paper for the drawers.

So, I'm bored off my ass. Mayhaps, I will look at my yarn stash and see if there is a project contained there... I have a back log of sewing projects, but I need to purchase a work table before I can start any of those...Argh!

Home on the Range...

2008-01-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

I've successfully made it to Helena! I'm pretty much all set up in my apartment and work is going great!

I got back from my first Diabetes Coalition meeting in Billings yesterday. On the way, guess what I saw...deer and antelope! Ha Ha!

Also, there are actually tumbleweeds here...

Driving

2007-12-31T15:49:00.001-07:00

Big Changes for the New Year

2007-12-27T14:58:00.001-07:00

The movers came today and loaded my meager possessions onto a truck bound for Helena, Montana.

After two years of distance, Sean and I are done (being a Chinese housewife was just not for me). Now I feel like a 25 year old divorcée. I have a really pretty wedding dress, just in case I need to get married in a hurry.

I've been feeling like I need an adventure for several years now, however I didn't think that adventure would involve the Wild West. So, I got a job as a full-fledged Epidemiologist for the Montana Diabetes Project -- a great career opportunity for me -- but how will I, city girl through and through, survive tiny town Montana.

Minneapolis -- Population ~400,000
Helena -- Population ~40,000